Decorative lights



y 3, 1960 R. L. PRICE, JR 2,935,599

DECORATIVE ucms Filed Jan. 22, 1958 INVENT OR RoberLL.Price, /h

ATTORNEY Unite States Patent DECORATIVE LIGHTS Robert L. Price, In, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 22, 1958, Serial No; 710,499

1 Claim. Cl. 240- The present invention relates to improvements in decorative Christmas tree lights.

It has been disclosed in prior United States Patent 2,110,353 to Barkes to cover the current conducting wires of a string or set of Christmas tree lights with an ornamental sheathing of metallic tinsel, in order to enhance the overall decorative and ornamental appearance of the Christmas tree lights. In the Barkes patent, the decorative sheathing of tinsel which surrounds the wire of the string of lights between the individual light bulbs and their sockets consists of a plurality of strands or cords which have attached thereto a multiplicity of fine metallic threads making up the ornamental tinsel sheathing. By reason of this construction, the ornamental tinsel sheathing is not substantially imperforate but rather is largely foraminous, and the sheathing therefore does not completely cover or enclose the insulated electric wire and afford any mechanical protection for the same. Additionally, the tinsel sheathing in the Barkes patent being metallic is a conductor of electricity, rather than an insulator, and in the event of cracking or failure of the insulation upon the electric wire, the metallic tinsel sheathing is very likely to come into contact with the electric wire and cause short circuiting and sparks which could readily ignite the Christmas tree and cause a serious fire. In like manner, the open or foraminous tinsel sheathing in the Barkes patent aflords no protection whatsoever to the insulation on the electric wire should the Christmas tree lights be exposed to fire as might occur if the tree were accidently ignited in any manner. In such event, the thin insulation on the wire of the string of lights might be burned away, causing the bare wire to be exposed and creating an additional fire hazard as well as the possibility of exposing a person or persons to an electrical shock. The tinsel sheathing in the Barkes patent affords no protection for the insulated wire in any sense, and does not strengthen the wire or protect anyone handling the wire from an electrical shock should the insulation on the wire be defective or broken. In fact, in this latter case, the tinsel sheathing would greatly increase the chance of a shock or the chance of igniting the tree or ones clothing.

With these disadvantages of the prior art in mind, it has occurredto me to improve upon the Christmas tree light construction of the Barkes patent and by so doing to further enhance the overall ornamental or decorative eifect of the lights, while simultaneously rendering them much safer to use and in effect eliminating all of the above-mentioned difficulties present in the device disclosed by the Barkes patent.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a string of Christmas tree lights including a plurality of highly ornamental reflective elements or beads strung upon the wires of the light set between the individual light bulbs and sockets and substantially entirely covering such wires and simultaneously providing additional strong electrical insulation for the wires and protecting them against mechanical damage as well as heat caused by fire or the like.

2,935,599 Patented May 3, 1960 A further object is to provide Christmas tree lights of the above-mentioned character including ornamental beads strung on and covering the wires of the lights and serving to protect the hands of persons handling the lights from the possibility of touching a bare wire should the normal insulation on the wire be defective or broken.

Another object is to provide Christmas tree lights of the above-mentioned character which will be sufliciently flexible to permit the string of lights to be arranged upon the Christmas tree in any desired manner or configuration.

.Still another object is to provide Christmas tree lights of the above-mentioned character which are greatly superior to the lights of the amentioned Barkes patent for use outdoors on trees or the like which are exposed to the weather.

An additional object is to provide Christmas tree lights of the above-mentioned character which are economical to manufacture and very little more expensive than conventional Christmas tree lights having no means to decorate the wires between the individual light bulbs.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a plan view or side elevation of a set of Christmas tree lights in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section taken centrally through the set of lights shown in Figure 1 adjacent to one light bulb and socket.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section of a light set embodying a slight modification of the invention.

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

In the drawings, attention is directed first to Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, wherein the numeral 10 designates an insulated current conducting wire, constituting the body portion of the set of lights shown in Figure 1 and being of any desired overall length. One end of the insulated wire 10 is electrically connected with one terminal of a conventional pronged plug 11, and from such terminal the wire 10 extends in a loop of any desired size such as shown in Figure 1, and the opposite end of the wire leads back to the plug 11 and is electrically connected in a conventional manner with the other terminal of such plug.

At preferably equidistantly spaced intervals along the flexible wire 10, a desired number of light bulb sockets 12 of conventional type have their terminals electrically connected in series in the wire 10, and the individual sockets 12 are bodily carried by the wire 10 in the usual manner. Mounted within each such socket 12 is a conventional decorative electric light bulb 13, having its filament electrically connected in series with the wire 10. If desired, a pair or more of the sockets 12 may have mounted therein a liquid filled ornamental glow element or bulb 14, of a conventional type, which glows and bubbles when current flows through the wire 10. A pair of such ornamental glow elements are shown at 14 in Figure 1. If preferred, all of the sockets 12 may be provided with the light bulbs 13, or all may be provided with the conventional liquid filled glow elements 14. The several ornamental light bulbs 13 and the glow elements 14 of Figure 1 are all electrically connected in series in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings. The construction thus far described is that of any conventional set or string of ornamental Christmas tree lights or the like.

.In accordance with the invention, there is strung ;upon the flexible insulated Wire 10 throughout its entire length between the individual sockets 12 and between the plug 11 and the two endmost sockets a multiplicity of tubular ornamental beads 15 formed of glass or other suitable electrical and heat insulating material. The beads 15 are preferably relatively thin-walled as shown in Figure 2, so as not to add excessively to the weight of the decorative lights, but the beads are, in fact, quite strong in construction and are capable of withstanding considerable rough usage without cracking or breaking. The beads 15 may be individually formed in any desired shape or configuration, but are each preferably formed integrally to simulate a pair of generally spherical beads 16 making up one bead unit 15 as shown in Figure 2. The bead units 15 are strung upon the wire 10 in end-to-end substantially contacting relation, and the bead units do not interfere with the bending or shaping of the 'wire as ,desired in the slightest, and the wire 10 carrying the heads is quite flexible so that it may be draped upon the Christmas tree in the most advantageous manner.

Each head unit 15 including the pair of integrally connected beads 16 has a central reduced throat portion 17 engaging relatively closely about the Wire 10, and the opposite ends of each head unit 15 have correspondingly reduced openings 18 receiving the wire 10 in relatively close fitting engagement. The enlarged bead body portions 16 of each unit 15 afford substantial air spaces 19 between the wire 10 and the periphery of the bead units for affording heat insulation around the wire and maintaining the fingers of a person handling the string of lights spaced a considerable distance away from contact with the wire 10. The bead units 15 are imperforate over their entire surface areas and the only openings in the bead units are the end openings 18, which openings are arranged in end-to-end substantially contacting relation along the wire 10 in the assembled device. By this arrangement the bead units 15 of glass or other similar insulating material cover and protect the insulated wire 1%) throughout its entire length, and the bead units aiford substantial protection tothe wire against mechanical damage, protect the wire insulation from heat such as might be caused by the Christmas tree burning and also afiord additional electrical insulation for the wire 10 and maintain the fingers of the user spaced at all times from the wire so that the fingers never come into contact with the wire. This is an important safety feature eliminating the possibility of electrical shock while handling the lights in the event that the wire insulation is defective or broken.

As best shown in Figure 3, the opposite sides of each bead body portion 16 are preferably conically recessed as at 20 to provide light reflecting ornamental surfaces at the opposite sides of the bead body portion. These recessed surfaces may be formed highly reflective and may be colored in any desired or conventional manner. The entire external surface of each bead unit 15 is preferably shiny and light reflective and may be colored in any desired manner. The bead units 15 may be silver or gold color over their entire surface areas, if desired. By such arrangements, the bead units are highly ornamental and In Figures 4 and 5, there is shown a slight modification of the invention, wherein the individual decorative light bulbs 21 of the set of lights have their filaments electrically connected in parallel in the set of lights. In this embodiment, a pair of insulated wires 22 constitute the body portion of the string of lights, and each light bulb socket 12 has its terminals electrically connected by leads 23 with the respective wires 22 as shown in Figure 4 for effecting the electrical connection of the several ornamental lights in parallel.

In Figures4 and 5, ornamental bead units 24 substantially identical in construction and purpose with the bead units 15 are strung upon the wires 22 throughout the lengths of the wires and between the sockets 12 of the several ornamental lights. The openings in the ends of the bead units 24 may be somewhat larger than the openings 18 of the bead units 15 in order to accommodate the two wires instead of one. All other parts are identical in construction and purpose with the corresponding parts shown and described in connection with the first form of the invention.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A decorative light set for Christmas trees and the like comprising flexible electrically insulated wire means, a plug connected with the wire means, a plurality of deoorative light bulb sockets electrically connected with the wire means and spaced apart longitudinally of the wire means and having short transverse wire portions of the wire meanssecured thereto so that the sockets extend laterally of the wire means for a short distance only, and a plurality of decorative glass bead units strung on the wire means in end-to-end substantially contacting articulated relation and substantially entirely covering the wire means, each bead unit comprising a plurality of hollow thin-walled spherically curved beads and a reduced thin-walled tubular neck portion between and integral with the adjacent beads of the unit and rigidly interconnecting them, each bead unit also having reduced thin-walled tubular end extensions in axial alignment with said neck-portions, said neck portions and tubular end extensions of the units receiving therethrough the wire means in relatively close fitting engagement and serving to maintain the wire means centered within the interiors of said hollow thin-walled spherically curved beads, said beads afiording relatively large air spaces surrounding the wire means throughout substantially the entire length of the wire means, said short transverse wire portions extending through and generally radially of adjacent pairs of said tubular end extensions of pairs of the bead units adjacent to said sockets, said sockets being disposed close to said bead units.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 726,124 Weissrnann Apr. 21, 1903 1,485,994 Salisbury Mar. 4, 1924 2,110,353 Barkes Mar. 8, 1938 2,408,253 Diebold Sept. 24, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 21,147 Great Britain 1890 1,077,922 France Nov. 12, 1954 

